After more or less successful retail attempts by Nike and failed attempts by levi’s to foster co-creation amongst their customers there seems to be a movement that gathers force in the food and restaurant business for co-creation! It appears to make sense! Surely its easier to stimulate co-creation as part of an experience in the food and restaurant business?

Jour in Paris …co-create your salads …The many juice / smoothy bars that let you create your own drink and the great Wok restaurants that let customers decide their own wok creation! To name just a few!


 In the "other world" of non-food it looks like a great idea but is difficult to implement on a larger scale. In my blog you’ll see Denham Denims in Amsterdam that have succeeded to stimulate co-creation but only because of their compact company size, personal service and attention they can give. Levi’s with their experiment in san Francisco some years ago lacked both the small size and the quality of service. They tried to "computerize" most elements but failed miserably…

Keep it Simple
Co-creation needs simple ingredients that stimulate the senses but above all simplicity of choice! Food lends itself to this, non- food not very often. Co-creation on the web? Yes, easier.. How many companies allow you to co-create on their sites your stationary, your businesscard even your T-shirt?
Here clearly the tension between web sales and highstreet sales is evident …The high street needs to compete but finds that increasingly difficult it seems.

Co-creation Retail Consulting Advice
What now is the basis of co-creation for retail stores, what is more important convenience or experience value? It is my considered opinion that co-creation is for the highstreet possible but only in a combination of factors, that need to interact closely:

• PEOPLE

• ELECTRONIC MEDIA

• SIMPLICITY

• EXPERIENCE VALUES ……NICER, MORE EXITING AND PERSONAL

Only through this interaction and with the right look and feel can retail stores set themselves apart from the pack …